Valerie Jennings, CEO of JSMM+VBM

I’m very excited to announce that I’m a 2018 Direct Marketing News Top 40Under40 Honoree! For the award, I’m being recognized as a digital marketing leader for my contributions as founder and CEO of two social media marketing companies, Jennings Social Media Marketing and Viral Bolt Media (JSMM+VBM), and as a social media early adopter. I will travel to New York to attend the award ceremony, which will be at the Dream Hotel in November.

I’m deeply honored to be selected as one of the 40 honorees this year. I’m very passionate about the digital marketing industry and the contributions I have made as a business leader, entrepreneur and early adopter of social media. I’d like to thank DM News for this prestigious recognition.

Respected throughout the marketing community, the DMN 40Under40 Awards recognizes the new generations of marketers across brands, agencies and vendors who are not only succeeding but excelling in their marketing careers. All born after November 15, 1978, and all achieving extraordinary success at a young age.

“We searched high and low to find 40 of the best, most accomplished, high-level superstars in the business of marketing — all under the age of 40. This was no easy task. The competition was fierce,” said Direct Marketing News editors.

As an early adopter of social media since 2005, I founded Jennings Social Media Marketing (JSMM) in 2003 at the age of 24 and founded a second creative agency, Viral Bolt Media (VBM), in 2012. As a business leader in Kansas City, I have positioned my agencies for rapid growth and early adoption of marketing technology. My businesses focus on lead generation and sales for publicly traded to start-up companies around the world. I also recently created two satellite locations in Irvine, CA, and South Beach, FL, to support the coastal growth in technology, automotive, luxury real estate and more.

I have also had the honor of accepting other awards in addition to the DMN 40Under40.These recognitions include Kansas City’s Most Wanted Honoree 2015 and Most Influential Woman in Business Class of 2014. I have also been interviewed about my success by national media and featured on magazine covers. My creative agency, JSMM+VBM, has successfully met the requirements of the NWBOC National Certification Program for certification as a woman-owned and woman-controlled business as of 2018.